A Pittsburgh convenience store manager and employee were accused with illegally exchanging over $550,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments for cash.
Abdou Jallow, 55, and Alicia Mastrantoni, 39, both of Pittsburgh, were accused in connection with a nationwide fraud investigation, the US Attorney’s Office reported on Tuesday.
Prosecutors claim Jallow, the manager of the 7-Eleven at 643 Liberty Avenue, and Mastrantoni, an employee at the same location, exchanged SNAP benefits for cash for clients, some of whom used the money to purchase drugs. According to authorities, more than half a million dollars in SNAP benefits were fraudulently obtained beginning in 2020.
According to federal prosecution documents, Jallow and Mastrantoni fabricated fraudulent sales records to make it appear that customers were purchasing groceries. Then they allegedly gave them cash, exchanging $60 in SNAP benefits for $30 in cash or smokes, for instance. In certain cases, authorities said the money was used on narcotics.
The store drew the attention of federal officials because it allegedly processed hundreds of individual SNAP transactions worth more than $100, and in some cases more than $500. Investigators discovered it to be extremely high for a convenience store.”How dare you? Sonya Webb, a frequent shopper at the business, said, “I’m mad as hell.”
According to store employees, Jallow and Mastrantoni are no longer employed.
Webb expresses her desire for further progress.”This is my personal opinion: they should be shut down,” Webb stated. “They need to shut down, period.”
The allegations are part of a nationwide drive to combat health-care fraud. According to the Department of Justice, the combined law enforcement action resulted in charges against 455 people, including doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for more than $6.5 billion in false claims.
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